The Island

Chapter One: The Boat

Amanda didn't stop running when she reached the end of the ship. She couldn't. Instead, she fell. She wasn't even aware of the fact that she had fallen off of the ship until she feel into the deep, ice cold waves that had made the ship sink. She had been warned that the water was cold, but this was colder than she had imagined. It was like falling into an ice cube, and then being buried in even more. Barely a second had passed before her lips turned blue and her teeth started chattering.

Even though her whole body was numb with cold, she still managed to swim. She kept on swimming until she could barely move. Then she saw a small little rowboat only a few yards ahead of her. And it was coming closer. But not fast enough, Amanda thought as another gigantic wave landed right on top of her. And than she knew it. She was going to die.

But then she woke up. She could tell it was morning because of the light she could see through her eyes, her eyes that were barely opened. At first, she was convinced that it was just a dream, that none of this had happened. No boat ride, no storm, no ocean, she was back in her bedroom. This had all been a bad dream.

Now that she was ready to open her eyes, Amanda became aware of the noise. Children screaming, people shouting, and a noise that could either be cars moving or waves crashing. But still, nothing could make Amanda stop believing that she wasn't in New York City, getting ready to wake up and go to school. So she finally opened her eyes, and, for a few seconds, nothing happened. It wasn't that she couldn't see, but her brain was refusing to believe what she saw. In a few seconds, Amanda was still staring in disbelief.

A kid sitting next to her smiled. "You're not dead," She said. By then, Amanda was simply staring at her hands. Her dream... wasn't a dream. She was on a small rowboat with about five other kids, and another rowboat a few yards away had the same amount. Glancing briefly at Amanda, the girl added, "We thought you might have been dead. But Alex," She nodded to a tall girl who looked about thirteen, "said you were just asleep.

"What's your name," Asked Amanda, her voice so quiet she herself could hardly hear it.

"My name?" The girl asked, and when Amanda nodded, she looked kind of scared for a moment. "I don't know my name. I don't really know anything about myself. But you can call me," she paused, then an excited look seemed to just appear, fast as lightning, on her face. "You can call me Ellie."

"What are we doing here," Amanda asked, no longer shocked. Someone from the other boat called out an answer. "Looking for an island. If we find an island, we can survive. Hopefully," He added more quietly. "My name's Jack, by the way."

"Hi," She said.

"Wait," Ellie called out loudly, so that the other boat could hear them. "I can see something!" Squinting her eyes, Amanda was able to make out a tiny dot very far away. The ocean was calm now, and everyone was looking at the thing Ellie had seen.

"Maybe it's a ship," Amanda whispered to herself.

"A ship?" Interrupted a little boy, who was at the edge of the rowboat. "What's a ship?"

The kid reminded her a little of her little brother, who, like the rest of her family, had not come on the ride.